“Nae doubt ye’ll see us all again. Edna will make sure of it,” Cailin said and the others all agreed.
“Then as we say in San Francisco… later,” Zeke chuckled. Both he and Brenna waved as they set off for the bridge to the cheers of the MacKenzie clan assembled in the courtyard.
Robert MacKenzie sent four of his finest men, led by Hamish MacBeown, to escort Brenna and Zeke to the bridge. It was a relatively short trip in comparison to the one Zeke had taken to Castle Treun on his arrival. He soaked in all of it. Every tree, rock and stream they crossed would be burned into his memory forever. He’d been on an adventure that very few people would ever experience in their lifetime. Why Edna had chosen him for Brenna was not something he thought he’d ever be able to fathom, but one thing was for sure, he was eternally grateful for her interference in his life. He didn’t think it would ever bepossible to thank her enough for the wonderful gift she’d given him.
Brenna rode along beside him, wearing her excitement like the finest cloak. They were going home. He couldn’t wait to share his life with her. He expected she’d fit into it perfectly, so any misgivings he’d had at the outset of their relationship were now gone, replaced by a sense of peace that this was exactly the way it should be.
“Are you happy, Brenna?” he asked
“Aye. I’m verra happy.”
“Me, too.” He reached out to touch her hand and brought it to his lips.
Hamish slowed his horse and waited for them to catch up. “Ye ken I’d like to time travel.”
“It seems like everyone at Breaghacraig has done so,” Brenna said.
“Everyone but me. Sara’s put in a good word for me with the witch.”
“You’ll probably have to wait for her to find you a match,” Zeke said.
“Do ye believe she can find me a wife?” The look of hope on Hamish’s face was almost comical, but Zeke didn’t laugh. He knew finding the right woman was a serious business.
“If you had asked me that question two months ago, I would have said it wasn’t possible, but now I believe she can,” Zeke said, exchanging loving glances with Brenna.
As they approached the bridge, all was quiet. Not a soul was in sight.
Zeke turned to Hamish. “You can leave us here. Thank you for the escort.”
Hamish glanced around. “Where’s the witch?”
“She won’t be here,” Zeke said.
“If ye dinnae mind, I’d like to see how this works.”
“Alright.” Zeke nodded.
“Ye can head back now. I’ll catch up with ye,” Hamish said to his men.
They all turned and rode off the way they’d come.
Zeke waited until they were far enough away not to hear or see what was about to happen. “You might want to move back, Hamish.”
They all dismounted. Zeke hated to leave Olwydd behind, but he couldn’t possibly take him. “Goodbye, my friend.” He petted the horse’s strong neck. Olwydd seemed to understand, because he leaned his large head into Zeke, almost knocking him off his feet. “I’ll see you again.”
Brenna’s eyes glistened with tears. Zeke understood that the thought of leaving Vala behind was difficult for her. She wrapped her arms around Vala’s neck, giving her one last hug. “I cannae take ye with me, Vala, me sweet, but ye havenae seen the last of me.” She stroked her soft nose one last time before handing the reins over to Hamish.
“We’ll take good care of them for ye. They’ll be waiting on yer return.” He then took the horses and stood in the distance to watch.
Brenna buried her face in Zeke’s chest. “I know it’s hard to leave her, but I promise you’ll see her again. I’ll make sure of it.”
She gazed up at him and he saw trust there. He never wanted to do anything to break that trust. He silently vowed he never would.
“Edna! We’re here!” he shouted.
As they waited, the sound of a cart approaching caused them to turn and look to the other side of the bridge. Zeke was surprised to see Wallace approaching them. “Wallace, I thought you only had to be here when someone arrived.”
“Aye. ‘Tis true,” he said, coming to a halt beside them.
